Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 54572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
That was how I met her. The way her eyes haunted me even after taking her statement at the hospital still stuck out in my memories. The way her voice was broken played over in my mind beyond my shift. Breaking my own rules and probably procedure too, I went to see her at the hospital the next morning before she was discharged.
A friendship formed.
I encouraged her to see this through even when she was ready to drop the charges because she didn’t want to face him. One day at a time, I stayed by her side. Friendship grew and in less than a month, I was hooked on all things Charlaina Banks.
“I dreamt about my mom’s cooking. Not sure if it’s a good dream or a bad one,” she teased and the tightness inside me eases.
“Mom’s cookin’ doesn’t scream nightmare, babe.”
She gave me a look, “you haven’t had to sit through a Sunday dinner with my family.”
“Not yet,” I joked letting her know I’m serious about seeing things work with us.
She laughed casually, “exactly.”
The coffee maker gurgled alerting us to the elixir of the morning being ready. I grabbed two mugs, mismatched because I was a man who didn’t give a shit about the cups as long as they contain the liquid.
“You’re brave wanting to have dinner with my family. We are a wild bunch.”
I winked, “I like to live dangerously.”
She took a sip of her coffee, “okay then, I have a question.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s fine,” she remarked having another sip. “It’s normal. And you said not yet. So here we go. My aunt’s birthday is this weekend. Family dinner is Saturday night.”
“Okay,” I nod because she paused.
“I was wondering if you could come?” She invited casually.
This was us. Nothing heavy, no drama, just hey, I got this thing.
“Absolutely.” I replied without a second thought.
She smiled, “Dante, you didn’t even ask what time? You might have to work.”
“Doesn’t matter, baby. You want me there, I’m there. I got time built up if I need to use it.”
She smiled but there was something underlying. “You sure?” she asked hopeful but with trepidation.
I sat my mug down to give her my full attention. “Know this shit is new, Char. But I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t mean it.”
She searched my faces like she was looking for a crack or a lie. Not finding anything to question, she relaxed. “Okay, cool. Just wanted to ask.”
I stepped in closer, crowding her gently before dropping a brief kiss to the top of her head. “You good?”
“Yeah,” she muttered, “my family can be a lot.”
“I can handle it.”
She laughed, “you say that now.”
I leaned down and kiss her quick and confident, against her lips. “I say that always baby. For you, there’s nothing I can’t handle.”
She wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek to my chest. “They’re gonna ask you a million questions. I haven’t brought anyone home since high school.”
I let out a laugh, “occupational hazard, baby. I’ve been trained in interrogations. We’re good.”
“Mmm,” she hummed against me, “they’ll ask how old you are.”
Ah, there it was. Yes, we had an age gap. She’s twenty-five and I’m thirty-seven. It’s not that I sought this out. But there was something about her that night I couldn’t shake. Building what we were, I didn’t want to let go regardless of our age difference or whatever her family throws at me.
“Matter of public record, baby.”
“Gonna want to talk about your occupation,” she countered.
“Badge speaks for itself.”
She shook her head, “not all cops are good, Dante.”
I reached out and tilted her chin up to look at me. “This isn’t about another cop. It’s about me. I got nothing to hide from you or them. Old enough to know better than to play games. I want this Char for as long as it works. Not young but I ain’t old either, damn. I want to meet your family and one day I’ll take you home to meet mine.”
She smiled at that. “It’s gonna be okay.”
I pressed my lips to hers again. “Easy day.”
She snorted, “okay, officer. Go get dressed before you’re late to work. Lamonte won’t let you live that down.”
This was us, two steps forward and tomorrow would most likely end in three steps back. She needed to have things at her pace, and I was a patient man. Plus, I had my own demons to battle.
I kissed her in a way to last before stepping back and getting my ass in gear to get to work.
Chapter 2
Loco
I woke up before the alarm, like my body didn’t trust peace enough to let it stretch out. The bedroom was still dark, the kind of pre-dawn that made the world feel unfinished. My apartment smelled faintly like coffee because I’d set the timer last night because shift changes did that to me.